He's Chipper

Despite the high temperatures and his hours of watering duties John has also managed to play with the chipper/shredder which we bought last year. We had an enormous pile of garden rubbish at the end of the alley which had built up over 3 years. Each year we are full of good intentions to deal with it and make it suitable to put in the compost bins, but it just never seems to happen. When tidying the compost bin area a few weeks ago we found some really usable material (that had composted by total neglect over the last couple of years). Spurred on by this John started to tackle the huge heap. We envisaged it taking all summer but once he gets the bit between his teeth there is no stopping him. So we now have one and a half compost bins full waiting for it to rain. However that is in short supply.

We never thought to take a picture of the heap before he started. Well, whoever takes photos of their piles of rubbish in the garden!

Whilst working on the heap it did cross his mind that such places are favoured snake habitats but he had not seen  any sign of one until ...

... just after lunch and temperatures in the mid 30's, I went out to pack up the chipper and collect up my extension leads (as the compost heap is at the end of the alley I need all of my 4 extension leads to reach to the chipper).  As I was standing rolling up one of the leads, I happened to look down to the 'Lower Woodland Bed'.  This is a bed the Head Gardener has created on the bank of the alley about half way down the 'Long Bed' (Inquisitive Visitors are welcome to come to see for themselves).

I was very excited to see a snake with a large toad in its mouth which it had obviously just caught.

I rushed off to tell Sue and get the camera and I was able to watch as the snake slowly swallowed the toad!

I was amazed to see the snake start to swallow the toad as it necessitated 'him' unhinging 'his' jaw.

'He' then reset 'his' jaws and gently slid off into the plants of the 'Long Bed' to digest his dinner.

After searches we think 'he' is a Swiss Grass snake ( Natrix helvetica) or a Couleuvre à Collier ... non-venemous and common throughout France.  We find observing the wildlife here so fascinating but ... Sue will weed this area carefully!!!